---
title: Enhancing anti-wear properties of lubricants
description: Carl Bechem India uses Ducom Four Ball Tester (FBT-3) for determining the weld load capacity and anti-wear properties of lubricants used in metal forming.
image: https://blog.ducom.com/hubfs/AdobeStock_189384712.jpeg
---
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[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5735947/78fb441a-de0c-4a9e-bf49-85bbcd080e46)
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[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5735947/17c38921-6c5f-4d81-bd5d-e810fb2b1b68)
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- [Blog](https://blog.ducom.com)
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- [About Us](https://www.ducom.com/about-ducom-instruments)
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- Support
- [After Sales Support](https://www.ducom.com/support)
- [Instrument Service Plans](https://www.ducom.com/instrument-service-plan)
#### General Tribology
- [Universal Tester - UNITEST](https://www.ducom.com/universal-tester-unitest)
- [Multi Capability Tribometer - POD 4.0](https://www.ducom.com/multi-capability-tribometer-pin/ball-on-disk)
- [Vacuum Tribometer - VT 3.0](https://www.ducom.com/vacuum-tribometer)
- [Abrasion Tester - Dry and Slurry](https://www.ducom.com/abrasion-tester)
- [Erosion Tester - Air Jet](https://www.ducom.com/air-jet-erosion-tester)
- [Erosion Tester - Slurry Jet](https://www.ducom.com/slurry-jet-erosion-tester)
- [Erosion Tester - Water Droplet](https://www.ducom.com/water-droplet-erosion-tester)
- [Twin Disk Tribometer](https://www.ducom.com/twin-disk-roller-on-roller-tribometer)
- [BioTribometer](https://www.ducom.com/biotribometer)
#### Lubricant Tribology
- [Four Ball Tester (Desktop)](https://www.ducom.com/four-ball-tester-fbt-3)
- [Four Ball Tester (Standard)](https://www.ducom.com/four-ball-tester-tr-30-series)
- [High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR)](https://www.ducom.com/high-frequency-reciprocating-rig-hfrr)
- [KRL Shear Stability Tester](https://www.ducom.com/krl-shear-stability-tester)
- [Low Temperature Torque Tester](https://www.ducom.com/low-temperature-torque-tester)
#### Petroleum Testers
- [Flash Point Tester - Pensky Martens](https://www.ducom.com/pensky-martens-flash-point-tester)
- [Flash Point Tester - Abel](https://www.ducom.com/abel-flash-point-tester)
- [Flash Point Tester - Cleveland](https://www.ducom.com/cleveland-flash-point-tester)
- [Freezing Point Tester](https://www.ducom.com/freezing-point-tester)
- [Cloud Point Tester](https://www.ducom.com/cloud-and-pour-point-tester)
- [Pour Point Tester](https://www.ducom.com/pour-point-tester)
- [Roll Stability Tester](https://www.ducom.com/roll-stability-tester)
- [Noack Volatility Test Apparatus](https://www.ducom.com/noack-volatility-tester)
- [BOCLE - ATF Fuel Lubricity Tester](https://www.ducom.com/product-ball-on-cylinder-lubricity-evaluator-bocle)
- [Shear Stability Tester (Diesel Injector)](https://www.ducom.com/product-shear-stability-tester-diesel-injector)
#### See our full range of products
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5735947/8c0055af-2ff0-4aad-aa83-42dcde0c56f4)
#### MOOHA - Digital Lab Assistant
MOOHA is an A.I. enabled digital lab assistant that can assist you with automatically logging data, maintaining an audit trail, performing statistical analysis and accessing data and instrument health and status instantly via a secure encrypted interface.
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5735947/78fb441a-de0c-4a9e-bf49-85bbcd080e46)
#### Ducom Test Lab
The Ducom Test Lab can be an extension of your quality or R&D department. Our experienced and knowledgeable application scientists and lab technicians can help you with finding the right test methods, designing test programs and delivering results.
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5735947/17c38921-6c5f-4d81-bd5d-e810fb2b1b68)
#### Knowledge
- [Blog](https://blog.ducom.com)
- [E-Books](https://www.ducom.com/e-books)
#### Events
- [WEBINAR | Tribology Discussions](https://lp.ducom.com/tribology-discussions)
- [Conferences and Tradeshows](https://www.ducom.com/conferences-and-tradeshows)
#### Company
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- [Locations](https://www.ducom.com/company-contact-us)
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[friction](https://blog.ducom.com/tag/friction) | [Ball Wear](https://blog.ducom.com/tag/ball-wear) | [four ball tester](https://blog.ducom.com/tag/four-ball-tester) | [Lubricants](https://blog.ducom.com/tag/lubricants) | [Carl Bechem](https://blog.ducom.com/tag/carl-bechem) | [Bangalore, India](https://blog.ducom.com/tag/bangalore-india) |
2 min read
# Enhancing anti-wear properties of lubricants
Written by [Global Applications Team](https://blog.ducom.com/author/global-applications-team)
January, 2022
[](https://www.ducom.com/four-ball-tester-fbt-3)
Metal forming processes like sheet forming, wire drawing, tube drawing, cold and hot forming require massive forces which change the shape and size of the metal. Oil introduced between metal and die is responsible for protecting the surfaces. Excessive wear in dies leads to discarding the dies, which is certainly a costly issue. If the formed metal does not have a minimal surface finish, it needs to be further processed and undergo other operations, which will increase the cost and reduce productivity. For Carl Bechem, oil lubricity is an important property, since higher deformation requires higher lubricity to protect the surfaces.
Figure 1. Schematics of hot metal sheet forming process.
Carl Bechem was looking for an instrument to determine extreme pressure and wear preventive properties, able to produce accurate and repeatable results. [Ducom Four Ball Tester](https://www.ducom.com/four-ball-tester-fbt-3) (see Figure 2) was an ultimate choice to fulfill their requirements. It complies with ASTM standards for determining the weld load capacity and anti-wear properties of lubricants. The image acquisition system provided with the instrument measures the wear scar diameter on the balls faster without dismantling the test setup.
[](https://www.ducom.com/four-ball-tester-fbt-3)Figure 2. Ducom Four Ball Tester (FBT-3).
CUSTOMER BENEFIT. [Ducom Four Ball Tester](https://www.ducom.com/four-ball-tester-fbt-3) helped Carl Bechem to improve products and increase their anti-wear properties up to 16% (Initial wear scar of Ø 0.50 mm reduced to Ø 0.42 mm). Considering the increase in the anti-wear properties, it has a substantial effect in tool service life and tool cost. Moreover, it facilitated the development of greases for high load carrying capacity (more than 1000 kg). The instrument is also used for qualifying and validating the properties of oils and greases produced per batch (3000 Kgs). Decrease in quality may lead to potential damage in terms of both resources and finances.
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